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Fantasy Mystery Romance Comics Non-Fiction

The Thirteen Problems

Thursday, January 10, 2013

The Thirteen Problems (1928, 1929, 1930, 1933) Agatha Christie
(Also published as The Tuesday Club Murders)

The Thirteen ProblemsI read several stories in this collection, but not all, so I don’t think I’d previously read this collection as is.

After dinner seems a good time to sit around and discuss crime, and see how clever everyone is, by seeing who can solve the mysteries presented by the other dinner guests.

The first stories are set (I believe) before the The Murder at the Vicarage. The last stories are set before The Body in the Library. The two characters that appear in all the stories are Miss Jane Marple and Sir Henry Clithering, the retired head of Scotland Yard. The nice thing about these stories is that they explain how Sir Henry came to know Miss Marple, and to trust her judgement.

I originally read the Miss Marple mysteries helter-skelter as I found them at the library, and later, as used books. So it’s nice to see the progression of Miss Marple’s problem solving skills, and how she was introduced to Sir Henry and the Bantrys.

And of course, like the other stories, so many bits are seemingly timeless. I’ve done this many times:

Well, of course, it was not any of my business but you get very queer glimpses of life sometimes, and you can’t help speculating about them.

So, another lovely escape.
Rating: 8/10

Published by Berkley

 

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